Top 10 Best Anime Prequels

VO: Dan Paradis
Written by Arschel Morell
Sometimes the best place to start is the very beginning. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Anime Prequels.
For this list, we’re looking at Anime films and series that act as direct precursors to already established Anime titles. We’re sticking to strictly Anime for this one. So Anime prequels to video games like Final Fantasy XV wont be included this time.
Special thanks to our users Joefel Jof Sodusta and Ashjbow for submitting the idea on our interactive suggestion tool: WatchMojo.comsuggest

Top 10 Anime Prequels

Sometimes the best place to start is the very beginning. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Anime Prequels.

For this list, we’re looking at Anime films and series that act as direct precursors to already established Anime titles. We’re sticking to strictly Anime for this one. So Anime prequels to video games like Final Fantasy XV wont be included this time.

#10: “Kuroko’s Basketball: Tip Off” (2013)

Before Tetsuya Kuroko joined Seirin High, he was part of the “Generation of Miracles”. Nestled within the awesome Kuroko’s Basketball series is this feature length, special episode that focuses on Kuroko’s past leading to his status as a legendary school basketball player. Tip Off is short and sweet, but it gives some much-needed exposition on the legendary team. Still, it retains much of the exciting gameplay and brotherly bonds that make it such a binge worthy series.

#9: “Hellsing: The Dawn” (2011-12)

Released towards the tail end of the Hellsing Ultimate OVA series, Hellsing: The Dawn, takes us back to the blood soaked days of WWII. Here, the prior generation of Hellsing operatives, including a young Walter C Dornes and a girlish looking Alucard, lay the smackdown on the Nazi vampires who would one day become the Millenium organization plaguing the present day. Dawn continues the excellent animation budget found in Hellsing Ultimate… Plus killing Nazi Vampires never gets old.

#8: “Lupin The Third: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine” (2012)

One of Anime’s classic femme fatales takes center-stage in this sexy prequel. The series follows the titular thief during her early days before her first encounters with Lupin and his crew. It is also notably darker and more adult than any other Lupin series to come before it. The visuals, content and overall sexy nature of the series are a callback to the original Lupin Manga, brought to life by some of the best looking animation in ages.

#7: “Magi: Adventure of Sinbad” (2016)

Years before he crossed paths with Aladdin and Alibabba, Sinbad was a poor young boy who was beginning his own adventure. This precursor to the popular Magi series sees the future King of the Seven Seas throughout much of his young life. Even if you haven’t seen any of the other Magi series, it’s not a prerequisite for sitting back and enjoying Sinbad’s journey. The show still bears much of Magi’s action, sharp animation and outrageous humor.

#6: “Un-Go Episode 0: Inga-ron” (2011)

Un-Go is one of anime’s hidden gems - However if you only saw the 11-episode series, one key story element remained untold. Just how did Shinjuurou and Inga first meet and how did their unlikely partnership begin? For die hard fans of this series, this short movie was a perfect payoff. The writing is still sharp, the characters still endearing and the animation still amazing, courtesy of Studio Bones. It’s sort of a head scratcher that they didn’t just start the series this way.

#5: “Dragon Ball Z: Bardock-The Father of Goku” (1990)

Long before Goku discovered the Dragon Balls, there was his father, Bardock. Cursed with the ability to see the future, the proud Saiyan must hurry to stop the extinction of his race from the wrath of Frieza. The movie manages to both expand on the saiyan genocide and deliver everything you love about DBZ. The fights are adrenaline fueled, Freiza is an asshole as always, and Bardock is such a well-done character, fleshed out in such a short amount of time.

#4: “Kizumonogatari” (2016-17)

The Monogatari series continues to churn out new tales with this prequel. Set before the events of Bakemonogatari, Kizumonogatari sees series protagonist, Kyomi Araragi in his days just before the transformation that changes his life forever. Making the jump from TV series and OVA to film, Kizumonogatari takes the visuals the series is known for and boosts them tenfold. Even if the complex story loses you for a moment, the visuals will keep your attention in check. It’s a story so grand it couldn’t be told in just one movie - it actually took three.

#3: “Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin” (2015-)

At long last, the history of the Red Comet can finally be told. The Origin focuses on the rise of franchise favorite, Char Aznable, as well as the many events that culminated in The One Year War. Boasting some of the best animation seen in Gundam to date, a gripping story filled with political intrigue, betrayal and plenty of Easter eggs for long time fans, The Origin has quickly been hailed as one of the best entries in the Gundam Franchise. Originally commissioned as a four episode series, further OVA’s have been announced – so we’re just getting started.

#2: “Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal” (1999)

Before he was a bumbling Rurouni, Kenshin Himura was the greatest killer of the Bakumatsu, the Hitokiri Battosai. This OVA, touches on several events spoken of in the series, such as Kenshin’s first clashes with the Shinsengumi and his first brush with romance. What also makes this prequel stand out is the more mature animation style. The humor of the TV series is totally absent in favor of a more somber and blood soaked story. And since these are his Battosai days, that means lots of swords and gore, basically Kenshin unleashed.

#1: “Fate/Zero” (2011-12)

Regarded as one of the best entries in the Fate/Stay Night franchise, Fate/Zero tells the story of the Holy Grail War ten years prior to the main series. Here, seven Mages, including the parents of Rin Tohsaka and Shiro Emiya, battle alongside seven Heroic Spirits for the ultimate prize. From the appearances of series mainstays such as Saber and Gilgamesh, the intense game of strategy played between all participants, to the jaw dropping, movie-quality animation from Studio Ufotable, the list of aspects this show gets right is nearly endless. Some would say this is the perfect jump on point for the Fate/Stay Night franchise and we cant argue with that kind of praise.